The Temple sanctuary was situated in the center of a large complex of courtyards, each more exclusive than the last. Both Jews and non-Jews  called Gentiles  were allowed into the outermost courtyard; Jewish men and women in the second; Jewish males in the third; and finally priests in the sanctuary. Only the high priests could enter the innermost chamber of the sanctuary, called the Holy of Holies. The Temple was the only site in the world where Jews could offer sacrifices to their God. On the altar in front of the sanctuary, priests offered sacrifices on behalf of individuals and the community. Sacrifices had different purposes, including atonement, thanksgiving, fulfillment of a vow, or supplication, and could consist of a variety of offerings, including grain or flour, wine, doves or pigeons, sheep, goats and cattle. Jewish law prescribed specific rules and procedures for each type of sacrifice, but most involved the burning of part or all of the offering on the altar. By practicing ritual sacrifice, Judaism shared much in common with other religions of the ancient Mediterranean, including those of Greece and Rome. Gentile sacrifice encompassed these purposes, as well as requests for oracles and healing. The Temple itself was also very similar to Gentile temples in structure, except that most Gentile temples would have housed a statue or other representation of their deity. Judaism, however, was aniconic  representations of their god was prohibited. Another difference with their polytheistic contemporaries was that first century Jews maintained a single Temple, a single place for sacrifice. The annual half-shekel tax paid by every Jewish male worldwide paid for Temple upkeep and communal sacrifice, and allowed the Jews of the diaspora communities to participate in the daily rituals.
Outside the Temple, but within the city walls, the city was divided into districts. Wealthier residents lived in villas in the upper city, on the ridge facing the Temple. Markets and more humble residential quarters were in the lower city. As the population grew, it may have necessitated multi-story apartment living as was common in other large cities, but traditional houses in the region were low level courtyard homes built of stones with wood beams covered with straw and clay. The climate allowed people to spend much of their time outdoors, in courtyards or on rooftops. Herod's massive building program reached out from the Temple to the city at large, including facilities for Roman style public spectacles and an Imperial military presence. Among these were a theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, palace, and barracks for Roman troops. Aqueducts and reservoirs provided the fluctuating population with water for their daily needs, and rituals of purification.
As a client king of Rome, Herod ruled a large section of ancient Palestine, centered in Judea and extending up the Jordan valley to Galilee, and over the hills to the Mediterranean coast. Jerusalem was traditionally the governing city of Judea, and administered by a council called the Sanhedrin. The surrounding territories shared linguistic and ethnic bonds with the city, but were largely independent. Though Judea would not be an officially annexed province of the empire until after Herod's death, the region was dependent on Roman protection and favor. In addition to his renovations in Jerusalem, Herod built a port city on the Mediterranean coast. He named it Caesarea Maritima, in honor of the Emperor. A thoroughly Roman city, it later became the seat of government for the governors in charge of Judea and Samaria. It required the construction of a huge manmade harbor and aqueducts to bring in water. The creation of a new city was a shrewd move. In practical terms, it facilitated communication and trade with the rest of the Empire; in symbolic terms, it allowed Herod to monumentalize his reign, and pay homage to his Roman patrons-including the erection of pagan temples  without offending the traditions of his ancestors.
Having killed his wife and three of his sons before dying, Herod left a will dividing his united territories among his remaining sons. They continued to participate in and imitate the culture of Empire. And they would up the ante on Jewish independence by bringing the Roman city model to the rural countryside. One son, Herod Antipas, established a city named Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. In addition to desecrating certain traditional precincts, Tiberias also brought massive economic changes. Fishing and agriculture were commercialized for export; large estates and fishing concerns replaced independent family farms and boats. Peasant communities were uprooted, and displaced individuals flocked into the cities for employment. Once there, they struggled to establish social ties and security. Divergent sects had existed within Judaism for centuries. Debate often centered on the extent to which foreign customs infringed upon Mosaic law, and the extent to which Jews could participate in the foreign cultures in power. Judaism also had long traditions of apocalypticism  revelations of God's hidden plan for deliverance of the people. These traditions were far from monolithic, and offered competing visions of the afterlife, the existence of angels, resurrection, and the details of the final judgment. In the years following Herod's death, messianic leaders encouraged hope of relief, and sometimes stirred up armed rebellion in efforts to achieve it. Rome frequently stepped in to put down such revolts, and eventually installed its own representatives to keep order.
erusalem Today is the center of three world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A section of the Western Wall of the Temple of Jerusalem remains. The South side of the Temple Mount hosts excavations of houses, ritual baths, a synagogue, and mosaics. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher stands on a site identified in the fourth century as the tomb of Jesus. The Holyland Hotel has a scale model of Herodian Jerusalem. Artefacts of all periods are located in the Israel Museum. In Caesarea Maritima, remains include an aqueduct and theater. In the theater at Caesarea Maritima an inscription of Pontius Pilate was found. On Lake Kinneret  the Sea of Galilee  ruins can be found in Tiberias and Capernaum. In Capernaum there is a partially restored synagogue, the "House of St. Peter," and a group of residences grouped around courtyards. In Tiberias, the ruins of a synagogue include a zodiac mosaic. Between Tiberias and Capernaum is Ginnosar, where the remains of a first century fishing boat are housed.
When Saul set out from Jerusalem around 34 CE, he was set on persecuting the new Jesus movement. But somewhere along the way he had an epiphany: a vision of Jesus. It was a life-changing moment and would be a pivot point in the history of the Jesus movement. Yet events following the epiphany are obscure. It is impossible to resolve contradictions between Acts and Paul's letters, but one thing is clear; no longer intent on persecuting the new sect, Paul now nurtured the conviction that he had a special mission, that he had been chosen by Jesus, not for his own salvation, but in order to spread the word of Jesus' resurrection as fast and as far as possible. Paul says he went into the deserts of modern Jordan, to Damascus and again to Jerusalem. He met with the disciples in Jerusalem who had known the living Jesus, but steadfastly believed that his vision of salvation took precedence over any human memory of Jesus' teachings.
Soon, Paul met another believer named Barnabas, and together they began to proselytize in Antioch, the provincial capital of Syria and military base for the Roman legions in the Mediterranean East. They preached mainly in synagogues, proclaiming to both Jews and Gentiles that the Messiah was coming, and when he arrived, the kingdom of Caesar was doomed. Only the faithful would be saved, and the Gentiles had to give up the gods of Greece and Rome, had to convert to Judaism, if they wished to be counted among the number of the faithful.
Antioch was one of the most impressive cities of the Roman Empire. Although it had been founded by a Hellenistic king in 300 BCE, the city was thrust into prominence by Augustus. Territories which had previously received protection from Rome were consolidated into the Imperial Province of Syria, and Augustus chose the strategically important city as the station for his legate to the East. Defensively positioned at the foot of a mountain range, with easy access to the Mediterranean by way of the Orantes River, Antioch was also on the crossroads of major trade routes into India and Egypt, and on the frontier of the Parthian Empire. Roman legions were stationed here, and their commander was second in power only to the Emperor himself. Rome instituted building programs to make the city architecture match its prestige. City walls were improved, and the Eastern Gate was topped with a symbol of Roman sovereignty, a statue of a she-wolf nursing two infant boys-Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. It would have been an imposing sight to visiting dignitaries, immigrants, and merchants. For Paul, entering the city in the year 40, such displays of Roman power and wealth were both challenge and inspiration.
Once inside the city, Paul would have proceeded down a monumental colonnaded street built by Herod. Over nine meters wide, the thoroughfare ran the length of the city, and was flanked by porticoes. Each portico stood two-stories tall and was 10 meters wide. After a fire in 23 CE, the emperor Tiberius renovated the porticoes. Decorated with mosaics and marble, ornamented with statues and bronzes, the roofed colonnades declared Antioch's alliance with Rome, and commemorated Roman patronage. They also gave the bustling urban population shelter form the sun and rain. The Roman transformation of the city included renovations of temples  most notably, a Temple to Jupiter Capitolinus that was paneled in gold  as well as the construction of theaters, a circus, and Roman baths.
But Paul would have spent most of his time in the residential quarters, markets and synagogues, and these areas were of a much different character. Like most Greco-Roman cities, Antioch consisted primarily of wood-frame buildings and plaster. The city suffered at least two devastating earthquakes in the years of Paul's acquaintance. The first was in 37, and the second  so massive it was felt all the way in Ephesus  was during Claudius' reign. And as Antioch's prestige grew, so too did its population. Soldiers came with families; legates came with bureaucrats; building programs came with laborers; many brought slaves; and all were accompanied by purveyors of goods and services to supply and entertain them. While some would have lived outside the city walls, one modern scholar estimates a population density for Antioch of around 117 people per acre, living in highly flammable buildings of up to five stories high. As the population expanded, so too did the city's ethnic diversity. The city soon had ethnic enclaves not only for Greeks, Syrians, and Jews, but also for Romans, Germans, Gauls and others. Vulnerable to earthquakes, fires, and epidemics, with an average life expectancy of less than 30 years, the population of a city like Antioch was in constant flux. Crime rates were probably high, and small conflicts could quickly escalate into major riots. Those who could afford to settled in nearby Daphne, building spacious villas and lush gardens without the crowding of the city. Here a sanctuary of Apollo guarded the natural spring.